Heat impacting Rogue Valley vineyards

SOUTHERN OREGON, —With record temperatures this week, we’re learning what impact that has on our Rogue Valley vineyards.

The vines shut down because of the extreme heat and go into survival mode. This results in the slowing of the development of the grapes.

One vineyard owner tells us because of the cold wet spring it was a double-edged sword with water available for irrigation, but further delay to vine development.

“The biggest concern is making sure we have water to keep the vines in a survival mode healthy, and fortunately we do have Talent Irrigation District water right now, having that wet spring we had although it delayed harvest, it allowed us to refresh reservoirs for water,” said Peter Adesman, owner of Peter William Vineyard.

He says between the heat we’re seeing now and the rain in June, it’ll make for a late harvest come fall.

His vineyard normally harvests mid to late September but this year that could be pushed back till October.

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NBC5 News Reporter Jenna King is a Burbank native. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sports Business. During her time at the U of O, she was part of the student-run television station, Duck TV. She also grew her passion for sports through interning with the PAC 12 Network. When Jenna is not in the newsroom you can find her rooting for her hometown Dodgers, exploring the outdoors, or binging on the latest Netflix release.
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